The Sistan orogen (Eastern Iran) separates the Afghan and Lut continental blocks stretches along ?700 km from north to south, at a high angle with respect other, dominantly E-W trending Alpine-Himalayan orogens. This study reappraises tectono-metamorphic evolution of northern part orogen, as well its significance within Neotethyan realm. Detailed inspection ophiolite indicates that Ocean was sl...

The ranges of arctic-alpine species have shifted extensively with Pleistocene climate changes and glaciations. Using sequence data from the trnH-psbA and trnT-trnL chloroplast DNA spacer regions, we investigated the phylogeography of the widespread, ancient (>3 million years) arctic-alpine plant Oxyria digyna (Polygonaceae). We identified 45 haplotypes and six highly divergent major lineages; e...

No single hypothesis or theory has been widely accepted for explaining the functional mechanism of global alpine/arctic treeline formation. The present study tested whether the alpine treeline is determined by (1) the needle nitrogen content associated with photosynthesis (carbon gain); (2) a sufficient source-sink ratio of carbon; or (3) a sufficient C-N ratio. Nitrogen does not limit the grow...

The Himalayan thar (Hemitragus jemlahicus Smith) is an introduced ungulate pest of the alpine zone in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Considerable money is spent attempting to mitigate their effects on indigenous flora (Tustin, 1990). Current management focuses on maintaining thar densities below specified densities by a combination of recreational, commercial, and government-funded hunting (Depar...

The Ophiolite Terrane of the Southern Chewore Inliers is comprised of two related, but lithologicallyand geochemically-distinct groups. The Maunde Ophiolite Group comprises a suite of lithologies similar to those within Phanerozoic ophiolites. The Kaourera Island Arc Group contains a suite of silica-variable, extrusive lithologies similar to those within present-day island-arcs. Geochemical ana...

the spatial distribution of mineralization is the foremost concern in regional exploration and it could be considered as a very important tool in the investigation of mineral deposits. there are several data manipulation methods by which the data can be evaluated. fry analysis is a good method to determine the direction(s) of maximum continuity of the deposits and could be used in different typ...

Mountains host greater avian diversity than lowlands at the same latitude due to their greater diversity of habitats stratified along an elevation gradient. Here we test whether this greater ecological heterogeneity promotes sympatric speciation. We selected accentors (Prunellidae), an avian family associated with mountains of the Palearctic, as a model system. Accentors differ in their habitat...